MakerBot provides shells for hermit crabs using 3D printing

Ever since 3D printing as a technology has become more affordable to consumers, I have wondered how long it would take for someone to fabricate a home using the devices available on the market. It seems that it wasn’t to take very long at all, as MakerBot Industries has created some of the first 3D fabricated housing using its Thing-O-Matic printer. The lucky individuals to get the low-cost housing? Pet hermit crabs!

Called Project Shellter, MakerBot joined forces with TeamTeamUSA to create environmentally-friendly 3D shells realistic enough for the hermit crabs to adopt as their homes. There is actually a shortage of natural shells in the wild, causing a housing shortage for the marine animals and leading to large amounts of them dying off. Project Shellter’s goal is to create a printing material that will degrade in the ocean as well as being able to maintain certain characteristics to ensure that the crabs will adopt the artificial replicas. This is easier said than done, apparently.

Working with Dr. Katherine Bulinski, a biological researcher that has done extensive studies of the crustacean in question, the group has laid out a set of design guidelines to ensure the experiment is a success. First, it’s very important that the size and shape of the shell be in line with with those found in the wild. They can be neither too small (the crab won’t fit) or too big (the crab won’t feel secure), and they must be light weight since the future tenants of the dwellings expend energy to move them around. This takes some serious 3D modeling, which the MakerBot community has tackled en force, resulting in the video you see above.

To date, two shells have been successfully adopted by the pet crabs that are part of the research team. This is a huge step for the project, and really for the technology as well. 3D printing is ceasing to be a novelty, instead forming a genuine use in a growing number of fields.

The Project Shellter team is looking for help from anyone with a 3D printer or 3D modeling skills. If you want to print some shells for testing you can sign up at the project’s web page. Also if you own hermit crabs and would like them to be part of the adoption testing, the team is taking volunteers in that area as well.